We finally have a tentative release date for my upcoming novel. It should go on sale on Friday, March 2nd. We’re just waiting on the arrival of the proof copies. If those are good, we can throw the switch and you can finally get your hands on this thing.

Over the next week or so I’ll be posting bits of artwork and the first couple of sections. The back of the book reads, “A young lady with a head for invention, a boy with a gift for sorcery, and a rotting corpse with a dry sense of humor all find themselves fighting against a strange new threat in Victorian-era London.”

I will say it’s murderously difficult to come up with blurbs that aren’t spoilers. I mean, what constitutes a spoiler? That the droids are carrying secret plans? That Luke ends up with the droids? That Obi-Wan knew Luke’s father? That the secret plans are for the Death Star? That Vader and Obi-Wan duel? If you’re cutting a trailer, how much do you give away? You need to explain what the story is about without giving away any details. The blurb above is nominally a spoiler for the first section of the book. (The book is divided into six sections. Is that a spoiler? Is it a spoiler that “six sections” itself could be a spoiler? Am I over thinking this?)

To answer the basic questions I’ve been getting in email:

Will the book be available in print?

Yes, the book will be available in both digital and softcover. We MIGHT do hardcover if there’s some unexpected demand for it. If we do, we’ll try to throw in some extra illustration content to make it worth the cost. (Hardcover print-on-demand can get pretty steep.)

How much will it cost?I haven’t chosen the exact prices yet, but the digital version will be somewhere around $5. The softcover will be around $25.

Will the book be available in my country?It will be available through Smashwords, Amazon, and CreateSpace. If you can shop on those sites, then you should be good. Obviously I want it to reach as many people as possible.

What sort of restrictions will the digital version have?There are various rights linked to digital books regarding lending & having them read aloud by the computer. We’ve made these as open as the system allows, so if you have accessibility issues or need to move the book between devices, hopefully it won’t be a headache for you.

How big is the book?The 6″ x 9″ softcover is just short of 400 pages. The book weighs in at around 120,000 words. That’s a good medium-sized novel. It’s bigger than your early Harry Potter books, but it’s not a huge back-breaking tome like, say, Cryptonomicon.

The book is illustrated now? What? I thought this was a book for grown-ups!It’s sparsely illustrated. There are six major illustrations in total. I can make no promises as to whether grown-ups will enjoy it.

This is the end of a long road for me. Here’s hoping it pays off. Thanks for your patience. Be sure to buy eleven copies for everyone you know. You know, for good luck.